Java is the backbone of enterprise software engineering, and the conversations happening around it right now are the most exciting they’ve been in years. From AI-assisted development workflows to Kubernetes performance tuning, the community is moving fast – and JCON Europe 2026 is one of those places where those conversations belong.

This year, Microsoft is bringing that energy to Cologne, Germany, April 20-23, 2026, at the iconic Cinedom Multiplex Cinema. We are thrilled to represent the Microsoft Java teams at one of Europe’s most beloved community-driven Java conferences. JCON has the spirit we show up with. No fluff, no filler. Just real engineering problems, real solutions, and real conversations with the people building production Java systems every day.

Attend JCON Europe for free as a Guest of Microsoft

JCON Europe is an in-person event in Cologne – and we want you there. Microsoft has a limited number of complimentary passes to share with the Java community. 

Claim your free ticket using the link below – but act fast, coupons are limited!

Cologne is a great city, the Cinedom is a one-of-a-kind conference venue, and the JCON hallway track is worth the trip on its own. Come see us live, and stay for the rest of the program and the other amazing speakers – there’s a lot of great content this year.

What Microsoft Is Doing for Java

Before we get into the sessions, a quick word on why we’re here. Microsoft is deeply invested in the Java ecosystem. Not just as a cloud platform, but as an active contributor to the community. This includes our  Microsoft Build of OpenJDK, our investments in Java tooling across Azure and Microsoft Foundry, and our work embedding Java-first experiences into GitHub Copilot.

From running millions of Java workloads in Azure production environments to contributing to upstream OpenJDK and frameworks like Spring, LangChain4j, and Quarkus, Microsoft is a Java shop. We want Java developers to succeed – on any cloud, with any framework, using tools that genuinely make their lives easier. That’s what we’re bringing to Cologne.

Our Sessions at JCON Europe 2026

Workshop: Modernizing Java Applications with AI Assisted Workflows

Monday, April 20 | 13:00-15:00 | Workshoproom: Koln/Bonn | Sandra Ahlgrimm & Bruno Borges

In this hands-on lab, we combine GitHub Copilot with OpenRewrite to modernize a real Java project – assessing the codebase, generating an upgrade plan, applying automated transformations, and validating the results. You will leave with safe prompting patterns and repeatable modernization recipes you can apply at work immediately.

Session details & registration: schedule.jcon.one/2026/session/1076678

Note: to attend the workshop, a separate ticket is required. 

Conference Session: Secrets of Performance Tuning Java on Kubernetes

Tuesday, April 21 | 13:30-14:15 | Cinema 6 | Bruno Borges

Getting Java to run on Kubernetes is easy. Getting it to run well is where things get complicated. This session digs into the JVM’s inner workings in containerized environments – GC defaults, heap sizing, CPU throttling under Linux CFS scheduling – and helps Ops engineers, SREs, and Java developers make informed decisions about vertical vs. horizontal scaling for both performance and cost.

Session details: schedule.jcon.one/2026/session/1044547

Resources

• Microsoft Azure Summit: Migrate and Modernize with Agentic AI – Global in-person event series

• GitHub Copilot App Modernization: App assessment and modernization with Copilot App Mod

• Java and AI for Beginners YouTube Series: Essential first steps of working with generative AI in Java

• Microsoft Foundry: Secure model deployment and management platform

• Java Demo Code and Samples: SkiShop – Legacy to Modern Application Migration Demo

• Java AI Samples on Azure: learn.microsoft.com/azure/developer/java/ai

• Azure Command Launcher for Java: aka.ms/jaz

• Microsoft for Java Developers: Java at Microsoft: 2025 Year in Review

Upcoming Events

• April 8-9 | Microsoft JDConf 2026: Virtual Java Developer Conference: jdconf.com

• April 20-23 | JCON Europe 2026 – Cologne, Germany: 2026.europe.jcon.one